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Hi I'm Mary

I am a wife, a runner and a reader. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

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My name is Mary and I am a Mormon!
To tell you a little bit about myself, i love unwinding after a day of work watching a good movie or reading a book with my husband.
I love all sports but my favorite sport is Cross Country. I love the feeling that comes from working hard and reaching my goals. My husband and I enjoy outdoor adventures whether it be all-day hikes, or 30-foot rope swings, we love summer.
I have music playing almost constantly. My favorite kind of music is indie rock, and if I could spend every weekend at a concert I would be a happy woman.
I work right now as a customer service representative for an insurance broker. I couldn't have asked for a better job having great people to work for.

Why I am a Mormon

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I grew up in the church and being a member of the church became part of who I was. Being a mormon was essentially my identity; what made me unique at school. All through high school I was "the mormon girl". However, when I went to college I moved from an area that was predominatley Catholic, to an area where I was surrounded by Mormons. All of the sudden I was no longer "the mormon girl". It was then that I had to decide if this religion was really true, or just a good lifestyle. Through personal study of the doctrines and principles that I had learned my entire life, and by personal revelation from the Holy Ghost, I received an undeniable witness that Jesus Christ is my personal Savior, that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is the Lord's church upon the earth today. That simple testimony I had at that time grew stronger and stronger as I've studied the words of the prophets past and present, and as I have seen a abundance of blessings that have come to my life by living the gospel teachings. I KNOW that it is true! This gospel has brought me all of my happiness in my life. Because I know its true, I know that I can live with my family not just for this life, but for eternity. Nothing brings me greater joy than this knowledge. The best day of my life was being married to my husband, knowing that we can be together, not just in this life, but throughout all eternity.

How I live my faith

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Jesus said, If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). I love Christ so much because of what he did for me, but no matter how much a person professes they love you, it is only through their actions that you are really going to know if they love you. I try very hard to live my faith in a way that shows my love for Christ. I attend church every sunday, I read the scriptures every single day, I pray often. But more than all these actions, I try to keep Christ at the forefront of my thoughts. This influences every aspect of my life. My language, the music I listen to, the movies I watch, the people I associate myself with. I do not smoke or drink or do anything that will be harmful to my body and spirit. If there is vuglar language in a song, I change it. I try my best to treat those around with me with the same love and respect that Christ would.

How can I know Mormonism is true?

Mary

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Joseph Smith in searching to know which was the true church had a vision of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Joseph himself knew that is was a bold claim to make, saying "If I had not experienced what I have, I would not have believed it myself.” (History of the Church, 6:317.) But the Lord in his infinite wisdom made it so that we wouldn't have to take his word for it. He led him to translate the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is scripture like The Bible which holds the record of prophets that lived in ancient America. At the very end of the Book of Mormon (Moroni 10:3-5) you will find a promise that says if you pray to know if the book is true, you can find the truth by the power of the Holy Ghost.
From there it is a domino effect. If the Book of Mormon is true, then Joseph Smith really is a prophet. If Joseph Smith really is a prophet, then Jesus Christ has restored that same church that was here during New Testament Times. That church today is called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day-Saints and it holds all the truths for us to live with Heavenly Father and our families for eternity.
I have taken this challenge many many times in my life and I have received an answer from the Holy Ghost every single time that the Book of Mormon is true. I know without a doubt that if you take the challenge to sincerely read and ask, you will find the truth you are seeking.Show moreShow less

Why is it important for us to take care of our bodies? Why are our bodies called temples of God in the Bible?

Mary

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I'm in an anatomy and physiology class right now, and it just blows my mind how intricate the human body is- our bodies are incredible! They are so resilient. God created us and given us the wonderful blessing of a body for our growth. We couldn't accomplish much without a body.
We often say our bodies are temples because of the scripture found in 1 Corinthians 3:16 "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"
To understand what this scripture is saying, I'll share an example. Imagine you are walking into a white room. There's white walls, white couches, white carpet and beautiful white flowers everywhere. Now imagine you notice you've tracked mud into that room. You would be devastated! You defiled the clean and pure white room! Now back to the scripture. This white room represents the temple- a clean holy place for God to dwell. Our bodies are also temples- clean, holy places for God to dwell. Just as we wouldn't want to track mud into a clean room, we wouldn't want to put drugs, alcohol or other harmful substances into our bodies. J
The Lord does not punish those who do not have a knowledge of His teachings. If we have "tracked mud" into the temple of God in the past, by not taking care of our bodies, we can always repent and become clean again. The Lord knows our heart. He will be able to see when we are seeking to respect his most wonderful creation.Show moreShow less

Why don’t Mormons have paid clergy?

Mary

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In our church no one is paid for the services to build the Kingdom of God. That is how the Lord has always established His church. (See Acts 8: 17-21)
When our hearts are in the right place we want to become like the Savior. In the church we are all blessed with responsibilities or "callings" to serve in different auxilleries that keep the church running and our faith strong. Some are called to teach, some have administrative duties, but in all of these callings we are able to help build the Kingdom of God.
I have loved my callings. I've had several different callings over the years. One year I was called to teach the the Relief Society. I was very intimidated teaching a class full of women, some of which were older than me and more wise. But as I was able to testify of the truths of the gospel to these women, i felt my faith in Christ strengthen, and my love for the women in the class grow.
The media tries to convince us that happiness comes from the right outfit, or being promoted at work. But true happiness comes when we are not focusing on ourselves but on the welfare of others. The Lord has established His church to give us many opportunities to serve. Therein, finding true and lasting happiness.Show moreShow less

Why do Mormon missionaries proselyte?

Mary

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This may be a girl-thing, but whenever I find a good recipe I immediately want to make it for my best friends so they can enjoy it too. The same thing is true for most things, whenever you hear a great song on the radio or see a great movie your first instinct is to tell your friends about it. The gospel of Jesus Christ is far more amazing than any recipe, movie or song. Members of the church are so happy with what we've discovered through the joy and peace the gospel brings that we not only want to share it with those we love, we want every single person on the planet to enjoy it.
When I was 22 I was wondering what direction to take in my life. I wasn't sure I wanted to serve a mission, but then I was sitting in a church class and we read a scripture "If ye have desires to serve God, ye are called to the work" (Doctrine and Covenants 4:3). My understanding of the Atonement- what Christ sacrificed in order for men to have eternal life, had been growing so much that I could no longer contain the desire I had to share it with others. I submitted the paperwork to serve a mission and left shortly after. It was not always easy, but when people I grew to love accepted the gospel and were truly converted to Christ's teachings, the joy I felt was incomprehensible. I learned so much during this short time in my life about faith, sacrifice, love and what true joy is. I can never repay my Heavenly Father for the gift he gave me to have the opportunity to serve a missionShow moreShow less

What do Mormons believe concerning the doctrine of grace?

Mary

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We absolutely believe in the doctrine of grace meaning, that through Christ's suffering, death and Resurrection- mankind can be saved from spiritual and physical death. A lot of people feel confused that because Mormons are a work-conscience people that we believe that our works will save us. We know that our works cannot save us. Without Christ, the most sinless person could not be saved.
Speaking to a group of national Christian leaders, one of our modern-day apostles addresses this concern, "For us, the works of righteousness, what we might call “dedicated discipleship,” are an unerring measure of the reality of our faith. We believe with James, the brother of Jesus, that true faith always manifests itself in faithfulness (see James 2). Salvation and eternal life are free indeed, they are the greatest of all the gifts of God . Nevertheless, we teach that one must prepare to receive those gifts by declaring and demonstrating faith in the Lord Jesus Christ —by trusting in and relying upon the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah. For us, the fruits of that faith include repentance... and a heart of gratitude that motivates us to deny ourselves of all ungodliness, to “take up [our] cross daily” (Luke 9:23), and to keep all of His commandments (see John 14:15). We rejoice with the Apostle Paul: “Thanks be to God, [who] giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57)." -Elder Jeffrey R Holland "Standing Together for the Cause of Christ"Show moreShow less

Wanting more from life, Mike Turvey set out hitchhiking with nothing but a hope that something worthwhile was out there. When he passed through Israel, his desire to learn more about Jesus Christ led him to discover what he had been searching for.